This invention relates to a multiple point delivery apparatus for separating a series of sheet-like elements moving in a common horizontal path.
In the forming of printed articles, a series of the articles are formed and subsequently assembled. The forming of the articles preferably involves an on-line system in which a web of indefinite length is passed through printing, cutting and forming apparatus to form individual sheet-like elements. The elements may be individual sheets, folded sheets with a common edge within the web and the like, and the terminology of sheet and sheet-like element is used herein to generally refer to such separate elements. The printing, forming and processing can normally e completed in high speed in-line apparatus. The articles from the in-line apparatus are normally discharged at a rate in excess of that which can be incorporated into the final processing, such as assembling, stacking or the like. To maintain in-line operation, various separating systems have been proposed for receiving of the in-line articles as produced and diverting of the articles into two or more streams thereby permitting a reduced rate of final assembly and processing. A widely proposed system includes a belt conveyor system having an in-line path, and one or more angulated offset paths. A particularly satisfactory apparatus is disclosed in the copending application of Kenneth Mielcarek et al, and entitled "Multiple Point Delivery Apparatus For Separating And Delivering A Series Of Articles To A Plurality Of Discrete Receiving Devices".
The diverter apparatus as disclosed in the above identified application includes a horizontal conveyor belt unit and an angulated or offset conveyor belt unit. The horizontal conveyor belt unit includes a continuous top belt and a spaced bottom belt conveyor defining a sheet path with a diverting gap. The offset conveyor unit includes a bottom belt with a upstream end located adjacent and immediately beneath the upstream end of the top conveyor unit and a top belt extending from the downstream end of the diverting gap. A pair of diverters are mounted to the opposite sides of the diverter conveyor units, and each diverter element has opposed diverting cams which pass through the respective horizontal and offset paths within the gap to support the sheet-like elements. The cams have a circumferential length approximately three times the length of the gap and move into the gap slightly downstream of the upstream end of the gap to engage and support the sheet moving through the gap.
Other prior art structures are discussed in the above application. Generally, the prior art has stressed the necessity and desirability of supporting the sheet-like element with a top and a bottom supporting member during the complete travel through the gap to insure the proper transfer from a cutter apparatus or other source into the diverter with an essentially continued control of the movement of the sheet-like element.